The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Camellia that is grown as an ornamental evergreen flowering shrub. The new cultivar is known botanically as Camellia japonica and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘Classic Pink’.
In 1962, the inventor commenced a Camellia breeding program whose primary objective was the development of varieties with significantly increased cold hardiness, thereby affording consumers in colder regions the opportunity to enjoy Camellias. In addition to breeding for greater cold tolerance, the inventor has sought to develop varieties with novel and attractive flower colors and forms, and increased resistance to disease. During the ensuing forty year period, many thousands of unreleased hybrids have been developed by controlled crossing of parents drawn from named (commercially available) cultivars and also drawn from the inventor's own pool of unreleased varieties. Seedlings from these crosses were grown on into mature plants within the inventor's test garden in Chapel Hill, N.C. Included in these grow-out trials were seedlings resulting from a cross made in 1964, as described below, including a single seedling known to the inventor as Camellia 60-0-6. Camellia 60-0-6 was grown to a mature size, along with other selections from the breeding program, until it was eventually selected by the inventor after the winter of 1985, and later named ‘Classic Pink’.
The winter of 1985 was exceptionally severe for the Chapel Hill, N.C. vicinity. Minimum temperatures of −9 degrees Fahrenheit were recorded, at which temperatures Camellias are generally killed outright, rather than merely defoliated. Many large plants from the inventor's breeding program were killed outright under these conditions. A small number of varieties survived, including ‘Classic Pink’ which suffered no damage to its wood and only minor injury to the foliage. The inventor determined that ‘Classic Pink’ is inherently exceptionally cold hardy for Camellias. 
‘Classic Pink’ arose as a single plant from a group of seedlings resulting from the deliberate crossing made by the inventor in 1964 between Camellia japonica ‘Kumasaka’ (unpatented) as male parent, and Camellia japonica ‘Berenice Boddy’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 605) as female parent.
‘Classic Pink’ differs from the parents as follows:
Camellia japonica ‘Kumasaka’ is a peony form of Camellia with rose-red flowers and good cold-hardiness, to USDA Hardiness Zone 6b. It is mid- to late-season blooming and has a compact growth habit.
Camellia japonica ‘Berenice Boddy’ is semi-double light pink flowered form of Camellia which is early- to mid-season blooming. It is not hardy in regions colder than USDA Hardiness Zone 7.
‘Classic Pink’ is at least as hardy as Camellia japonica ‘Kumasaka’ but later blooming. In addition, the flowers of ‘Classic Pink’ are very light pink: lighter pink and more formally double than Camellia japonica ‘Berenice Boddy’.
The distinguishing traits of ‘Classic Pink’ are its exceptional cold hardiness combined with attractive plant form comprising compact growth and dark green leaves. The pale pink flowers are novel within the set of cold hardy (to USDA Zone 6) Camellias known to the inventor. The lateness of the bloom period for ‘Classic Pink’ allows ‘CLASSIC PINK’ to better avoid damage from late spring frosts.
The first asexual reproduction of ‘Classic Pink’ was conducted by the inventor in 1989 at the inventor's nursery and test garden in Chapel Hill, N.C. The method used for asexual propagation was rooting of semi-hard internodal stem cuttings. The inventor has since determined that ‘Classic Pink’ reduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.